What if Voyager didn't have its aeroshuttle?

As an Intrepid-class vessel, Voyager had under its primary saucer the unmistakable outline of a Captain's Yacht-like shuttlecraft - what Doug Drexler dubbed the Aeroshuttle / AeroWing - and would presumably have reused the Danube Runabout interior from DS9. However, it was never utilized in the shows, especially with the introduction of the Delta Flyer(s) in later seasons.

If, for some reason, these Aeroshuttles were decommissioned fleetwide and there wasn't going to be a Captain's Yacht for the Intrepid-class, what would go in its old spot instead?

I'm pondering this as I have recently downloaded a 3DS Max mesh for the Intrepid-class, and am thinking of retexturing it to remove the Aeroshuttle.

I think that when Voyager departed Mars that the Areoshuttle was, for some reason, unavailable. And what the Voyager actually had was basically a "plug," to occupy that space, and make Voyager's underside aerodynamic in case she had to enter a atmosphere.

Alternatively, again the shuttle was missing, and what we were seeing was the sliding hatch/hatches that closed when the shuttle was on a mission, the hatch would make it so the Voyager could land without the shuttle in place.

I think that when Voyager departed Mars that the Areoshuttle was, for some reason, unavailable. And what the Voyager actually had was basically a "plug," to occupy that space, and make Voyager's underside aerodynamic in case she had to enter a atmosphere.

Alternatively, again the shuttle was missing, and what we were seeing was the sliding hatch/hatches that closed when the shuttle was on a mission, the hatch would make it so the Voyager could land without the shuttle in place.

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Non-canon sources from a Star Trek Magazine suggested that Voyager did have the Aeroshuttle, but that it was undergoing an overhaul at the time the ship was initially lost in the Badlands.

I'm tempted to agree with the "plug" theory, although the features on the underside look oddly like maneuvering thrusters...

As for the sliding cover, I don't think one was planned. According to the following draft animation that the producers pitched for the show, the Aeroshuttle simply pops out and flies off leaving a cartoon cutout:

I'd like to have something ugly down there, to highlight the fact that this is a change of plans, a last minute addition, and to create contrast with the otherwise smooth lines of the ship. I'm weird like that.

So, perhaps a protruding quantum torpedo turret á la E-E, a clumsy and unwieldy weapon that might end up being more trouble than worth.

Or another type of deployable craft, but this time an uncrewed model - a Transformer-like, clickety-clack robotic device that would unfold after deployment into... Well, perhaps a floating observatory to be left behind at an interesting spot? Or a complex planetary survey base that soft-lands on a moon or an asteroid.

The idea of a plug is ridiculous, by the way. I guess the shuttle wasn't going to be ready until Tuesday?

No, what we see on Voyager herself is way too detailed for a "plug." The Drex Files photos show that the shuttle as it is on Voyager even has markings, which look like they might indeed be "Voyager" and "NCC-74656", as if it's ready to detach and move independently. Why put markings like that on a plug?

Besides, I won't believe that Janeway would have left DS9 without being shipshape, unless canon shoves that down my throat.

Real navies use "plugs" all the time. It just doesn't pay to create a smooth cover when a piece of equipment is removed as outdated or too expensive or because it never worked right. Generally, an angular piece of metal is welded on, and if the hole is of a funny shape, then so is the piece.

Why put markings like that on a plug?

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Yeah, doesn't make sense. But if it's instead a cover that's supposed to be there regardless of whether there's a shuttle behind that cover... Then it's merely fully consistent with how the lifeboats sit behind carefully labeled covers.

I won't believe that Janeway would have left DS9 without being shipshape

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This was an inaugural mission. Those virtually never feature the full gear, because there's plenty to test even without.

We never saw the Captain's Yacht on the Enterprise D either, but there's nothing to say it wasn't there.

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...Nowadays, and thanks to the reworking done in connection with the blu-ray transfer. Originally, the very first episode already cast serious doubt on there being a yacht there, as an energy transfer beam (according to dialogue, a phaser rigged funny) was fired from the general area.

The idea of a plug is ridiculous, by the way. I guess the shuttle wasn't going to be ready until Tuesday?

No, what we see on Voyager herself is way too detailed for a "plug." The Drex Files photos show that the shuttle as it is on Voyager even has markings, which look like they might indeed be "Voyager" and "NCC-74656", as if it's ready to detach and move independently. Why put markings like that on a plug?

Besides, I won't believe that Janeway would have left DS9 without being shipshape, unless canon shoves that down my throat.

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Obviously when the model of Voyager was made the belief was that we would see the aeroshuttle at some point in the series. In fact, Marvel Comics even featured the aeroshuttle in their Voyager series in the 90s.

As for Janeway leaving without it, I doubt she had a choice. Starfleet wanted Voyager to investigate the disappearance of Chakotay's ship, and aeroshuttle aside Voyager was ready to go. Since the aeroshuttle wasn't considered necessary for that particular mission, the ship was sent on its way.

^^That's basically the rationalization that has since been provided in the novels for why we never saw the aeroshuttle.

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We never saw the Captain's Yacht on the Enterprise D either, but there's nothing to say it wasn't there.

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In the case of the Captain's Yacht on the Enteprise D, there never was a need to explain why it wasn't seen. With the aeroshuttle they kind of do need to explain why they spent an entire episode decoted to building their own scout ship, and even went to the trouble of building another one when it was destroyed when a perfectly good scout ship should have been sitting lodged in the hull. So, "it wasn't there" is as good as anything.

In the case of the Captain's Yacht on the Enteprise D, there never was a need to explain why it wasn't seen. With the aeroshuttle they kind of do need to explain why they spent an entire episode decoted to building their own scout ship, and even went to the trouble of building another one when it was destroyed when a perfectly good scout ship should have been sitting lodged in the hull. So, "it wasn't there" is as good as anything.

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Ah, but if they left home without it, then why didn't they build a new aeroshuttle, rather than build a delta flyer? Free up space & resources in the solo shuttlebay. Not that space was ever an issue in there.

In the case of the Captain's Yacht on the Enteprise D, there never was a need to explain why it wasn't seen. With the aeroshuttle they kind of do need to explain why they spent an entire episode decoted to building their own scout ship, and even went to the trouble of building another one when it was destroyed when a perfectly good scout ship should have been sitting lodged in the hull. So, "it wasn't there" is as good as anything.

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Ah, but if they left home without it, then why didn't they build a new aeroshuttle, rather than build a delta flyer? Free up space & resources in the solo shuttlebay. Not that space was ever an issue in there.

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But I though space wasn't an issue, given the TARDIS like properties of Voyager's shuttlebay.

Since there was no one on the show saying anything about the captain's yacht/aero shuttle, there is no canon information saying it isn't there in the first place. I am reading on here about people saying 'back stage' or 'someone from the show said it' but technically that isn't canon for Trek so as far as Voyager is concerned, that little old shuttle was there at DS9 at the beginning of the show and all the writers forgot about it for the entire show run.